CANBERRA, Australia — A pigeon that Australia declared a biosecurity risk has received a reprieve after a U.S. bird organization declared its identifying leg band was fake. The band suggested the bird found in a Melbourne backyard on Dec. 26 was a racing pigeon that had left the U.S. state...
Carnivorous Tasmanian Devils Back in Mainland Australia After 3,000 Year Absence
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Tasmanian devils, the carnivorous marsupials whose feisty, frenzied eating habits won the animals cartoon fame, have returned to mainland Australia for the first time in some 3,000 years. “Seeing those devils released into a wild landscape — it’s a really emotional moment,” said Liz Gabriel, director of...
Nearly 500 Pilot Whales Stranded in Australia; 380 Dead
HOBART, Australia — More pilot whales were found stranded in Australia on Wednesday, raising the estimated total to nearly 500, including 380 that have died, in the largest mass stranding ever recorded in the country. Authorities had already been working to rescue survivors among an estimated 270 whales found Monday...
Flu Shots Are Here, but Is It Too Early To Get One?
Pharmacies have already started their ad campaigns urging you to get a flu shot. And, CVS and Walgreens began giving shots this week in Fresno and Clovis. Health officials in California are concerned about the confluence of the coronavirus and flu, noting a substantial decline in child vaccination rates since...
Great Barrier Reef Enters Crucial Period in Coral Bleaching
CANBERRA, Australia — The Great Barrier Reef is facing a critical period of heat stress over the coming weeks following the most widespread coral bleaching the natural wonder has ever endured, scientists said Friday. David Wachenfeld, chief scientist at the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, the government agency that...
Deluge in Australia Drenches Fires and Eases 3-Year Drought
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Drought, wildfires and now flooding have given Australia's weather an almost Biblical feel this year. The good news is that a recent deluge in eastern parts of the country has drenched deadly fires and helped ease a crippling drought. But experts say it will take some...
Heavy Rain, Floods Lash Eastern Australia, Help With Fires
CANBERRA, Australia — Heavy rains lashed parts of the wildfire and drought-stricken Australian east coast on Friday, bringing some flooding in Sydney and relief to firefighters still dealing with dozens of blazes in New South Wales. New South Wales is the state hardest hit by wildfires that have killed at...
California Firefighters Return From Battling Australia Fires
LOS ANGELES — Twenty firefighters from California returned to the United States on Wednesday after spending nearly a month battling wildfires in Australia. The firefighters based at Angeles National Forest arrived at Los Angeles International Airport and were scheduled to reunite with their families at a city fire station. The...
Wildfire Creates State of Emergency in Australian Capital
CANBERRA, Australia — The Australian capital region declared a state of emergency on Friday because of an out-of-control forest fire burning erratically to its south. It's the first fire emergency for the Australian Capital Territory area since 2003 when wildfires killed four people and destroyed almost 500 homes in a...
Firefighting Plane Crashes in Australia, Killing 3 Americans
SYDNEY — Three American crew members were killed Thursday when a C-130 Hercules aerial water tanker crashed while battling wildfires in southeastern Australia, officials said. New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian confirmed the crash deaths in the state's Snowy Monaro region, which came as Australia grapples with an unprecedented fire...